Aptma lauds FTO for prompt relief to export sector

LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (aptma) has appreciated Federal Tax Ombudsman’s (FTO) Dr Asif Mahmood Jah for providing prompt relief to export oriented sectors, a statement said on Tuesday.

The FTO official provided relief to the sector against the inordinate delay caused by the Export Oriented Sector Registration Cell (ESRC) of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in processing cases of export units for electricity and gas tariff, it added.

Aptma North Chairman Hamid Zaman said that processing of energy tariff cases was being delayed on lame excuses and false pretexts, forcing the exporters to pay excessive tariffs on electricity and gas.

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Consequently, they were being saddled with extra financial burden reducing their competitiveness in the global market against their local and regional competitors, he added.

The textile mills had apprised FTO that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) directions of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) were issued through FBR Circular No 4 of 2020, prescribing procedure for enrolment of registered persons to qualify for special energy tariff.

Unfortunately, the legally laid down SOP was being blatantly violated by adopting delaying tactics causing immense loss to the applicants, the Aptma official said.

The matter was immediately taken up by the FTO who vide his decision in Complaint No 1974/ISD/ST2022, held that the delay caused by the FBR tantamount to maladministration, while directing the FBR to process all cases for concessionary energy tariff on a day to day basis without deviating from the prescribed procedure.

Aptma has lauded the FTO for cost free redressal of the genuine problem of the export industry. Such decisions go a long way to help the export sector to focus on exports instead of wasting their valuable time in trivial procedural and bureaucratic formalities.

Aptma has expressed hope that the FBR would implement FTO directions in letter and spirit to ensure that all cases received from trade bodies for energy tariff are processed on priority to avoid irretrievable financial loss to the exporters.

Zaman also welcomed the FTO directions for periodical consultative sessions and meetings between the FBR and export sectors for expeditious processing of cases on merits in future.

He requested the FTO to continue its resolve for eliminating all irritants in the smooth flow of business to enable the exporters and taxpayers to work for uplift of the economy, upsurge of exports, initiating new investments and creating additional jobs for the unemployed youth.

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